Let’s face it. Republicans do not do well in the metro areas, especially here in Georgia.
Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Albany are all Democrat strongholds. Were it not for the metro areas, Republicans would win by a landslide every year.
There is a tendency for Republicans to say that we don’t stand a chance there so we focus our efforts on the rural and suburban areas. Rick Jackson is not buying into that thinking.
He just rolled out the Legacy Corridor Initiative saying, “Being the number one state for business means nothing if it does not apply to all of our businesses, in all of our neighborhoods.” He added, “I know what it means to be written off, and I know what one opportunity can do.”
The Legacy Corridor Initiative targets six business corridors to start with in Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, Albany, and Macon. Rick Jackson’s plan does not go the traditional Democrat route of throwing money at a problem.
Those plans only tend to enrich consultants and non-profit organizations that pop up like mushrooms to scarf up all the grant money and they never really help the businesses they were supposed to help. Jackson will engage private investors and banks to encourage good private investments in these target areas.
Jackson’s plan freezes property taxes and makes an investment worthwhile. It also freezes the property taxes for those surrounding the target zones because those who have stuck it out in the bad times should not be penalized when the property starts coming back to life again.
This initiative represents a vision that Jackson has for small businesses across Georgia. He wants to show them the same attention that is shown to big businesses Georgia is trying to recruit. Jackson remarked, “We have the ability to not only keep Georgia the number one state for business but also make Georgia the number one state for entrepreneurship.”
When asked about going into these traditionally Democrat areas, Jackson said, “I have been told I had no business being somewhere my whole life, but that’s okay. I’m working every day to make sure Georgians know my heart and that I’m fighting for them. I am going to earn their vote the same way I earned everything else in my life… by showing up and actually delivering.”
Democrats are recoiling as Jackson is charging into their home turf like David taking on Goliath and we know who won that one.
